Tuesday, March 29, 2016

The Most Common Self Storage Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Self storage is a great solution if you have too much furniture,
are in the process of moving, are redecorating your home or perhaps
you're a business with too much stock or office equipment. Either way,
these facilities are incredibly handy but in order to utilise them the
best you can, here are some of the most common mistakes people make and
how you can avoid them.

Too much stuff

It's very easy to
underestimate how much stuff you have and overestimate how much space
you have in your storage unit. This then leaves you stuck in the
situation where you have to cram everything in and chances are, you'll
never be able to find what you're looking for when you need it.

In
order to avoid this situation, always get more space than you think you
need. Not only will this allow you to store your belongings in a more
orderly fashion, it will also enable you to add additional items later
on.

Not covering furnishings

Although you can get incredibly
close, no storage unit is completely air tight. Dust will always find a
way to get in even when you've taken precautions such as weather
stripping the bottom of the doors. When storing your furnishings for
long periods of time, make sure you put a protective covering over them.
Something as simple as an old sheet or a dust cover can protect
valuable items such as rugs, mattresses, sofas and any other furniture.

Failing to plan

It
might sound a bit excessive but having a self storage plan is well
worth it. If you go in blindly you will end up running out of space,
storing heavy boxes on top of fragile ones, creating towering stacks
that are a disaster waiting to happen and as for being able to find
something without rummaging through every single box, no chance.

Drawing
out a map of which boxes will go where is a great way of ensuring no
accidents happen and you will be able to locate where everything is
within seconds.

Forgetting to pay

It might sound crazy but
some people end up keeping their belongings in self storage for years
and years which means it can become easy to forget about. As seen on the
popular television programme, Storage Wars, if your account falls too
deeply into areas, your items will be auctioned off. Of course no
facility wants to do this but if you move or change your number without
letting them know and they can't get hold of you, they will have no
choice. Most places offer different payment options whether you prefer
to pay up-front or set up a monthly direct debit. Don't forget to update
your contact details as well because this is a simple but common
mistake.